A Hero's Rhetoric
My heart is captivated, my soul soars, when words enlarge my view and challenge me to things beyond myself.
My spirit shrivels, my mind narrows, when words focus on self-interest and self-gratification.
It is well worth the effort to find, as my husband aptly puts it, "heroes" that do the first, not the second. We listen and watch with care, searching with diligence if we are wise, not leaving the choosing of our "heroes" to mere chance. They are far too significant and influential in our lives, these "heroes" of ours.
And truly, in our search, care must be taken; we are readily seduced. In no time at all, I can find myself drawn to messages that satisfy my own concerns, words that fire up self-centered and self-serving passions. We tend to smallness. Why?
Perhaps it's easier, simpler, to settle for commonness. After all, it surrounds us daily. Pop music and culture is FILLED with self-adulation, lustful passion, stagnant aspirations. Not many pop stars (I am tempted to say, "Not one", but that is not possible... is it?) proclaim an integral message that would lift vision and ennoble. We are inundated with compromise and mediocrity at every turn. It is, indeed, "popular" culture: common to many.
I wonder if we, as a culture, believe any longer that there are true heroes. We've been burned, let down; we have become disillusioned and cynical. So we settle. Believing that there is no such thing as a man of integrity, we make heroes out of the common place.
Heroes, by definition alone, are not a dime a dozen. They are unusual, special; they are somebodies. They are not perfect, but they are noble, marked by integrity, vision. Their words inspire and their lives support those words. They may be few and far between, but they are worth searching out.
Don't hitch your horse to just any wagon. Make sure you know what that wagon holds, how it's made, and where it's heading.
Choose your heroes carefully, but find them. Because in the end, someone somewhere is influencing you. Let it be a hero worthy of that name.
My spirit shrivels, my mind narrows, when words focus on self-interest and self-gratification.
It is well worth the effort to find, as my husband aptly puts it, "heroes" that do the first, not the second. We listen and watch with care, searching with diligence if we are wise, not leaving the choosing of our "heroes" to mere chance. They are far too significant and influential in our lives, these "heroes" of ours.
And truly, in our search, care must be taken; we are readily seduced. In no time at all, I can find myself drawn to messages that satisfy my own concerns, words that fire up self-centered and self-serving passions. We tend to smallness. Why?
Perhaps it's easier, simpler, to settle for commonness. After all, it surrounds us daily. Pop music and culture is FILLED with self-adulation, lustful passion, stagnant aspirations. Not many pop stars (I am tempted to say, "Not one", but that is not possible... is it?) proclaim an integral message that would lift vision and ennoble. We are inundated with compromise and mediocrity at every turn. It is, indeed, "popular" culture: common to many.
I wonder if we, as a culture, believe any longer that there are true heroes. We've been burned, let down; we have become disillusioned and cynical. So we settle. Believing that there is no such thing as a man of integrity, we make heroes out of the common place.
Heroes, by definition alone, are not a dime a dozen. They are unusual, special; they are somebodies. They are not perfect, but they are noble, marked by integrity, vision. Their words inspire and their lives support those words. They may be few and far between, but they are worth searching out.
Don't hitch your horse to just any wagon. Make sure you know what that wagon holds, how it's made, and where it's heading.
Choose your heroes carefully, but find them. Because in the end, someone somewhere is influencing you. Let it be a hero worthy of that name.
posted by Darlene Sinclair at
10:20 AM
4 Comments:
Great reflection on bucking the trend toward coarseness and cheapness in our culture in favor of excellence.
Just want to suggest that white print on black background is difficult to read. Also the print is small for those with less than perfect vision. Changing those two things might make your posts more accessible.
Okay, okay. Uncle! I switched to this. Seems pretty plain, ordinary and a bit ho hum. But "Mr. Anonymous" (aka: BRD) and my son convinced me... pretty much anyway. :)
So it wasn't BRD -- I was totally wrong on that one. But he is happy for the change as well! :)
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